How can I not lead off with the man who started it all for me. It was his novel The Gemini Contenders that caused me my first (or many) sleepless nights. To this day I will still stay up the night to finish a novel I just cannot put down.
His first novel was ‘The Scarlatti Inheritance’ published in 1971. The novel instantly reached the bestselling charts. This was a book about the Nazis and international investors. His second book was published two years later called the ‘The Osterman Weekend’ which also became a film later on. By the middle of the 70’s Ludlum had started writing as a full time career. The Ludlum family moved to Long Island where they had their second home. Ludlum travelled a lot to find backgrounds for his stories.
His most renowned novel series was ‘The Bourne Identity’ which started in 1980’s. It was a story about an American man who is a counter assassin with a memory loss and he confronts his opponents in different locations.
His books were mainly about characters that were the way they were due to economic reasons. They had to fight against governments or negative forces that were power hungry. ‘The Aquitaine Progression’ (1984) and ‘In the Matarese Circle’ (1979) were books with a similar story line. Ludlum also published some books under pseudonyms. One of his pseudonyms was ‘Jonathan Ryder’ which he used for his books ‘Trevayne’ and ‘The Cry of the Halidon’. Another was ‘Michael Shepherd’ that was used for his humorous books like ‘The Road to Gandolpho’.
Ludlum wrote more than 25 thriller novels. His books in print have got over 290 million copies and have been translated in 32 languages. He was one of most successful thriller writer of the twentieth century. A book that he had been writing before his death was the ‘The Tristan Betrayal’ and it was published in 2003. When it was published posthumously there was a note saying: “Since his death, the Estate of Robert Ludlum has worked with a careful selected author and editor to prepare and edit this work for publication.”
He died on March 12th in 2001 due to a heart attack in his home in Florida. At the time he was recovering from injuries he had suffered due to a fire.
Burke's work has been awarded an Edgar twice for Best Crime Novel of the Year. He has also been a recipient of a Breadloaf and Guggenheim Fellowship and an NEA grant. Two of his novels, Heaven's Prisoners and Two For Texas, have been made into motion pictures. His short stories have been published in The Atlantic Monthly, New Stories from the South, Best American Short Stories, Antioch Review, Southern Review, and The Kenyon Review. His novel The Lost Get-Back Boogie was rejected 111 times over a period of nine years, and upon publication by Louisiana State University press was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Thomas Leo Clancy, Jr. was born on April 12, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating from Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Maryland in 1965, Clancy attended Loyola College in Baltimore where he graduated in 1969.
Before realizing writing as a career Clancy worked as an insurance broker, running an independent insurance agency. A few years later the agency joined a group of investors including Peter Angelos. Clancy bought the Baltimore Orioles from Eli Jacobs. Just when Clancy was about to reach an agreement to purchase the Minnesota Vikings to boost his insurance business, the settlement cost of his divorce came in the way and forced Clancy to abandon the agreement.
In 1984, Tom Clancy published his first book, The Hunt for Red October. The novel’s story revolved around a Russian submarine crew. The book gained immense recognition and occupied space on The new York Times bestsellers list after President Ronal Reagan praised it. As a writer Clancy’s forte remains his realistic crafting of the military and law enforcement world, its scenarios, procedures and life. His writings have made an impression on many significant military and government personalities who have offered their friendship to him and also grant him access to submarines, aircrafts, and ships to help him collect material for his upcoming projects. His accurate representations have made many of his books a part of required reading materials as U.S military academies.
Some of his most notable books include Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, the Sum of all Fears, Executive Orders, Rainbow Six, The Teeth of the Tiger, Dear or Alive, Locked On and Against all Enemies.
Patterson was born in Newburgh, New York, on March 22, 1947. He attended the Manhattan College where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree and later earned a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. Although Patterson wrote even before becoming a dedicated writer, he became a full time writer after retiring from the advertising business in 1985. His first book, The Thomas Berryman Number was published in 1976.
Patterson introduced FBI Agent and forensic psychologist Alex Cross for the first time in his bestselling novel Along Came a Spider published in 1993. Some more famous titles from the Alex Cross series include Kiss The Girls (1995), Pop Goes the Weasel (1999), Violets are Blue (2001), Mary, Mary (2005), and Cross (2006).
In addition to being immensely popular, this series has also been the top-selling investigative series for 10 years. Patterson has often collaborated with other writers and co-authored books with authors such as Maxine Paetro, Andrew Gross, and Peter De Jonge.
Having sold more novels than that of Stephen King, John Grisham and Dan Brown combined; James Patterson is the single most selling author of 63 hardcover titles according to The New York Times, holding the same status in The Guinness World Records. In addition to The New York Times, Patterson’s books have also appeared on the NovelTracker’s top-ten. His literary efforts have been acknowledged by the Edgar Award, the Children’s Choice Book Award, BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of the Year and the International Thriller of the Year Award.
A great supporter of developing reading habits in children, he is also the founder of James Patterson PageTurner Awards which began in 2005. The foundation has donated more than US$850,000 to various institutions, schools and individuals that create new and creative ways of bringing back the excitement of books and reading. However, these awards were halted in 2008 when Patterson launched ReadKiddoRead.com, another initiative to pursue the cause of reading by helping parents and teachers to choose the best books for their children.
Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.
IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan’s former students, continues to break ground.
Jonathan’s first published book was a medical text, Psychological Aspects of Childhood Cancer, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, Helping the Fearful Child.
In 1985, Jonathan’s first novel, When the Bough Breaks, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. It was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999), as well as the illustrated art book, With Strings Attached: The Art and Beuty of Vintage Guitars. Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
Archer continued fund-raising after leaving Oxford and also started becoming active in politics becoming a Conservative Councillor on the Greater London Council in 1967. When he worked for the United Nations Association, he was alleged for divergences in his claims for expenses. In 1969, Archer started his own fund-raising company, Arrow Enterprises and an art gallery he sold two years later due to losses.
He was first recognized as a literary figure after the publication of his first book, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less in 1976. Being a success, an adaptation of the book was aired by BBC radio in the early 1980s and BBC television in 1990. The Kane and Able series is Archer’s best known work. It secured the number one position on The New York Times best-sellers list and was also made into a mini television serial. Another one of Archer’s best-seller to be seen on television is First Among Equals. An author to a couple of plays and more than 25 books for adults and children, Archer’s latest novel, Only Time Will Tell (2011) is the beginning of a new series titled, The Clifton Chronicles.
Famous not only for his literary contributions, Archer has also been the center of attention for quite some time due to his scandalous life. After being appointed the Deputy Chairman of the Conservative party in 1985, Archer was forced to resign a year later after being reported on having paying a prostitute for sexual services. However, Archer won the case named, libel trial, after suing and was presented £500,000 in damages. He was arrested in 2000 after a trial that found him guilty of persuading a friend to lie in court in the 1987 libel trial. After being imprisoned for four years, Archer was released on July 21, 2003. He wrote, A Prison Diary, a three volumes long memoir during his days in prison. Jeffrey Archer still remains a much talked about public figure, be it for his books or scandals.
Ken Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales on June 5, 1949. His Playmouth Brethren parents, Martin Follett and Lavinia Follett did not allow him to watch television and movies which shifted Ken’s interest towards reading from an early age. After moving to London, Ken studied at Harrow Weald Grammar School and Poole Technical College moving on to studying philosophy upon gaining admission to University College London in 1967. In 1995, Follett became a fellow of the college. He also became involved in centre-lift politics during his years at the University.
Follett graduated in 1970 after which he enrolled in a 3 month post graduate journalism course which led to a job of trainee reporter at South Wales Echo in Cardiff. He spent three years at the job in Cardiff before returning to London to work for the Evening News as a general assignment reporter. However, Follett did not enjoy journalism and shifted interests towards publishing. He worked his way to becoming the deputy managing director of Everest Books, a small London publishing company.
During his time at the publishing company, Follett tried his own hands at writing, at first as a hobby, writing in the evenings or weekends. But later his writing became need based when he needed money for some repair work in his car. He began publishing his fictional works but did not gain much acknowledgement in the beginning. Follett was first recognized as an exceptional writer in 1978 after the publication of his novel, Eye of the Needle which brought him both wealth and international fame. The book also won Follet an Edgar Award for best novel in 1979. A number of Ken Follett’s books reached the number one spot on The New York Times bestsellers list while many have been adapted to screen.
Some more famous titles by Ken Follett include The Shakeout (1975), The Bear Raid (1976), The Mystery Hideout (1976), Paper Money (1977), Capricorn One (1978), Triple (1979), The Key to Rebecca (1980), On Wings of Eagles (1983), Lie Down with Lions (1986), Night Over Water (1991), The Third Twin (1996), Code to Zero (2000), Whiteout (2004), World Without End (2007) and Fall of Giants (2010). His next novel, Winter of the World is expected to be released in 2012.
Ken Follett has also been a prominent name in British politics since he began taking interest in the activities of the British Labour Party in late 1970s. His political activities led to his second marriage in 1984 with Barbara Broer who was a Labour official. In addition to being a popular Blairite, Follett has been involved in fundraising activities for the party.
In 1965 he joined the BBC and was sent to Biafra to cover the war that was raging in Nigeria. What he saw of this brutal and cynical conflict made it difficult for him to toe the editorial line of the BBC's coverage so he resigned, turned freelance, vanished into the thick of the conflict and later emerged to publish the highly controversial The Biafra Story. In 1969 he decided to use his experience as a Reuters reporter in France as the basis for a thriller. Within 35 day he'd completed The Day of the Jackal, which established him as one of the world's leading thriller writers. To date it has sold in the region of 10 million copies and was made into a major film starring Edward Fox in 1973.
In a case of life imitating art, while researching his new book The Cobra, Forsyth arrived in the West African state of Guinea-Bissau on the very day that the Army chief-of-staff was murdered, allegedly by order of the President. That night, in a tit-for-tat attack, the President himself was bombed out of his residence, shot and hacked to death. Unable to leave the country, Forsyth found himself back in the role of journalist reporting on this coup for the British press.
His interests include swimming, scuba-diving, game-fishing, travelling and reading. He was awarded a CBE in 1997.
He started working as a copywriter for an advertising industry after his discharge from the military. Later he became the creative director of two successful advertising agencies. He was assigned to produce radio and television commercials and was also given a reward at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival of Creativity for many of his commercials.
The Sea Hunters was Cussler’s first non-fiction work and it was published in 1996. In 1997, his work was accepted in lieu of a Ph.D thesis by a board of governors of the State University of New York Maritime College and he was also awarded a Doctor of Letters degree by the university.
In 1965, his wife joined the local police department in California. She worked in nights. Clusser looked after his children and when they slept, he had no one to talk to, so he started writing, since he had nothing else to do. Marine Engineer, Government Agent and Adventurer, Dirk Pitt were his famous works.
His Dirk Pitt novels were based on historical perspectives like “What if Atlantis was real?”, or “What if Abraham Lincoln wasn’t assassinated, but was kidnapped?”. The Mediterranean Caper and Iceberg were his first two Pitt novels, which consisted of maritime thrill. His third novel, Raise the Titanic, was a combination of adventure and technology. His novels generally involved lost ships, megalomaniacal villains, beautiful women and sunken treasure.
Clive Cussler’s has more than seventeen of titles were listed in the best-seller list of The New York Times.
There are many more, too many to mention here. Having said that, of the thousands of books/novels I have read, the above named authors are in my top-ten.
I've often said the world would be a boring place without music and the written word...
Pick up a good book, and get lost in it.
Greg
source; (with thanks)
biography.com
wikipedia.com
jamesleeburke.com
famousauthors.org
jonathankellerman.com
frederickforsyth.co.uk Read More...
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